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wildlife

How to get into wildlife recording

#newyearnewme

We asked our local wildlife recorders what top tip they would give to someone starting their journey of wildlife recording for the New Year

1. Start off simple. Learn a few new species at a time and get to grips with them for a few weeks or months before moving on to others. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too much information to remember at the start.

What is meant by urban? In Jersey we think of urban areas as the large sections of buildings making up St Helier and Les Quennevais areas. I too have said that I live in the countryside, but do I really? Looking at the Urban Map created by Jersey Mapping (2007) our island’s urbans areas are all over the place, reaching out into our countryside habitats.

Biodiversity in Jersey draws people from around the world. We are a unique island with a rich marine ecosystem, a hot spot for bird spotters and have flora and fauna species that are not found in the UK.

Many locals and tourists when the weather is bright and sunny make their way to the wilder areas of the island for walks in biodiversity hot spots such as the North Coast and St Catherine’s Woods.

The Jersey toad (Bufo spinosus, known locally as the Crapaud) has an iconic status and was once a familiar sight in island ponds and waterways. Recently numbers have declined and so, since 2005, conservationists have been using information from Jersey residents to create an island-wide picture of the toad’s distribution, abundance and breeding patterns.

Come see us at Wild About Jersey where we will be looking at earthworms with UK experts Emma and Kerry from the Earth Worm Society of Britain.

Throughout the day we will have earthworms on the show so you can your practice measuring skills and learn about their biology and life underground.

At 12:30-13:00 on Saturday and Sunday you can join in with an earthworm survey. Which involves digging and checking which of the three groups they belong to, checking soil types so be prepared for muddy hands (but gloves will be provided!).